Rosie’s back, back again

There has been a theme lately in the Oakland A’s organization of bringing old friends back after letting them spend some time away to frolic in other (mostly greener) pastures. Rajai Davis and Santiago Casilla this season, Jed Lowrie last season, and now Adam Rosales is the newest in a line of names to return to the green and gold.

Except this is Rosie’s third time coming back to Oakland, after being tossed back and forth between the Texas Rangers and the A’s like a human Hacky Sack in 2013. Things have finally settled, and Rosales is here for 2017 on a one-year, $1.25 million deal (plus $1 million more in incentives, if earned).

Rosales is a utilityman, never playing over 87 games or hitting over 7 dingers since he began his career in 2008 with Cincinnati, that is until last season with the Padres. Something happened and the 33-year-old veteran slapped 13 homers and drove in 35 RBI. Not exactly star status, but at least numbers that give him a little more presence at the plate to go along with his diverse fielding skills.

Where he’ll fit in with the madness the A’s are percolating, only time will tell, but it’s good to have a guy who really can fit in anywhere. He even pitched a couple of innings in 2015! So if we end up with too many injuries in the bullpen ...

(from baseball-reference.com)

Admittedly, Dillon Overton — who ended up getting DFA’d to make room for Rosales — actually has a higher career ERA than Rosales (11.47 to 9.00), so there is something to be said there. What, I’m not sure, but something, definitely.

The big thing Rosie will be adding to the roster (again) is a big hunk of exuberant team spirit and the drive to help the team in any way he can. Plus, he was already on the team with Rajai in 2010, so reigniting that old spark won’t be a task at all.

While on the team together, Davis and Rosales got to be a part of Dallas Braden’s perfect game in 2010, so how about a repeat of that? Except we’ll need someone else to fill Braden’s role, so ... Graveman? Gray? Who’s it gonna be?

He also founded Adam Rosales’ Baseball Utility, an organization with the goal of helping young baseball players hone their skills and take their playing to the next level.

Spring training is getting so close I can almost smell the cacti, so maybe we’ll start to get some answers to the roles for the cast of characters the A’s are cultivating this offseason. We’ll have to wait to find out! So, here’s to more dingers, more smiles and, oh yeah, more home run “trots.”

Welcome back (again) Rosie!